A former goalkeeper and career fraudster has been convicted of being involved in a £5 million bank fraud.

Darren Steadman, who played in goal for Kidderminster Harriers, laundered money for a ring of criminals who stole millions from UK and foreign banks.

Steadman (37), is already in prison over the theft of nearly a million pounds from Habitat founder Terence Conran.

He moved money taken illegally from a high street bank around accounts in Spain, before converting it into untraceable cash. He was helped by Worcester husband and wife John and Jeanne Allin.

The specific fraud that led to his conviction involved the theft of £375,000 from a high street bank customer in the Midlands. Seven people, including a former mayor, in total were convicted for the international fraud ring, which was focused on North Yorkshire.

Steadman and the Allins appeared before Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday, pleading guilty to a number of offences, including retention of criminal property and conspiracy to money launder.

Steadman had his crimes taken into consideration, as he is already midway through a sentence of more than seven years.

John Allin was given a 12-month sentence, on top of a five-year stretch he is already serving. Jeanne Allin, whose involvement was said to be more peripheral, was given a six-month suspended sentence.

In 1999 Steadman, while playing regularly for Kidderminster, admitted a £70,000 mortgage and wine bar fraud, using fake cheques to buy wine and spirits for three bars he ran in Bewdley, Plymouth and Gloucester.

He was jailed for two years, but was let out for regular training sessions and matches with his Kidderminster colleagues.

The goalkeeper had previously played for Worcester City on day release, after being locked up in 1998 for deception offences.

And he was given another four-and-a-half year sentence in 2004 after the money disappeared from Terence Conran's account.

At the time, the court heard how Steadman had bank accounts in many countries around the world, including Switzerland, Ireland and Spain.

The latest convictions related to offences carried out in 2004. They came after a joint five-year operation between North Yorkshire Police and Derbyshire Constabulary into the activities of what was described as "a serious and organised criminal group."

Detective Inspector Harland said: "This was a difficult and complex inquiry involving professional criminals assisted by a solicitor.

"They set out to defraud the banking system of millions of pounds and were only discovered in the last stages of these thefts.

"The investigation involved the taking of statements from over 150 witnesses and inquiries in Ireland, the USA, Isle of Man, Spain, Gibraltar, and Tenerife.

"The majority of the stolen monies have been recovered."

The other men convicted for the theft and fraud included ringleader Paul Blanchard, 61, of Heslington, York, who was given six-and-a-half-years for running the scam.

Solicitor and former Selby mayor Christopher Eyre (54), was sentenced to two years; and Simon Eldritch (32), of Clifton, York, to 43 months.